Today’s devotion is based on “There Is Nothing”, the sixth track from Laura Story’s major label debut, Great God Who Saves.

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There Is Nothing
Genesis 22: 1-5

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

What is worship? Is it a music style or a service we attend at some ungodly hour every Sunday morning? As a “worship” leader, I often find myself asking this question. I remember the first time I looked the word up in my bible concordance and was completely shocked by what I found. The first usage of the word worship is found in Gen. 22. where, rather than referring to singing or praying, it refers to God calling Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. How could this be worship?

Has God ever asked you to do something you didn’t want to do? I can definitely recount times like that in my own life but never like what God asked of Abraham. Isaac was not only His only son; he was God’s promised offspring that we read about in Genesis 12. Even though Abraham and Sara were both quite old, God still made a way to bless them with a son. I cannot imagine the joy Isaac must have brought to their lives, after being barren for so many years. And now this… how could God ask for so much? If it were me, I probably would have said, “No.” At the least, I would have dragged my feet or put up a good fight. But Abraham’s response? He rose early. He didn’t know where he was going or why God was asking this of him but he still rose early and followed. His worship that day was an act of obedience.

The more I learn about worship, the more I realize how little I know. Worship is both joy and pain. It is dancing before the Lord in exultation and it is weeping at His feet in disappointment or repentance. Worship is saying, “Here I am.” It is coming before the Lord with whatever we hold tightly (family, future, possessions) and laying it at His feet. Worship is realizing that there is nothing in this world that can compare to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ and obeying Him.

Well, we all know the ending of Abraham’s story. God provides the lamb for the sacrifice and Isaac lived on as part of the lineage of Christ. The story is easy for us to read because it’s not our son and we already know the ending. But what about your story and mine and the prospect of being asked to sacrifice that thing we prize above all other things? What is your Isaac?

Lord, help me to be willing to trust You in all situations. May my daily worship be characterized by a willingness to rise early and follow.